The preliminary project scope statement outlines the project and product objectives, and high-level scope, schedule and budget. Requirements collections help refine various parameters which often serve as the initial project baseline.

Given that several unknowns will materialize as you progress deeper into the project, what is the best way to deal with these unknowns? Despite your best project management plan, you may not have a choice but to issue change requests to address the changing project dynamics.

Is it better to do everything in your power to stick to the initial baseline or succumb to the need to issue change requests? With the former, you will look good by keeping your promise but may end up delivering an inadequate product. With the latter, you run the risk of losing your credibility by not delivering as promised.

From various engagements, consultants get to see the best practices of top organizations worldwide. A good tool or technique usually becomes part of the consultant’s repertoire of best practices.

In the last few months, I have learned the concept of “the ask”. In a project, you need to have a clear understanding of the “project sponsor’s ask”. What is it that s/he is asking you to deliver?

When delegating tasks to team members, be explicit on what you are “asking” them to do. Do you want them to review the documents and provide feedback, or do you want them to edit and finalize the documents?

Instead of simply forwarding an e-mail with an FYI tell them what to do with it—“no action is needed” or “add a calendar reminder”.

The four-step process below incorporates concepts from Getting Things Done (David Allen), twice-daily e-mail checks from The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss) and techniques that I have been using successfully for several years.

Take control of your e-mails:Eight Easy Steps to Eliminate E-mails. Process your e-mails only twice a day, one at mid-morning to respond to overnight and early morning e-mails, and another one at mid-afternoon to read the rest.

Transform the e-mails in your Do folder into one-line action items: use the verb-noun format, e.g., Read the report

Project failures are good only if you can learn from your mistakes. With a keen eye on lessons learned and failure points, here are nine potential ways to turn a project failure into future project successes.

design a case study around it

update the organizational procedures

institute new preventive policies

add an item in the risk checklist

document symptoms of the failure points

create a gate-driven diagnostic tool

revise the project management training manuals

train the staff on how to prevent similar problems

use as a basis for quantifying project failures

There are times when you can learn more from your project failures than from your project successes. As long as you keep your mistakes small by making them early, you can use them to become a better project manager.

Don’t bother with project management certifications if your primary reasons include getting instant fame and fortune. Adding the PiMP designation after your name will not make you an overnight sensation even if your name is John! And no, the new iPMP designation is not the latest iPhone.

Only consider getting a project management certification if you are willing to:

Limit my goals to 12 versus as high as 24 in 2003 (achievable and realistic)

Set interim milestones for each goal (time-constrained)

Stick to the plan

For 2010, I will take a French course, become a master scuba diver, run my fifth marathon, earn the PgMP, publish three books, produce Chief Scout Award recipients, visit Western Canada with my family, max out our RRSPs, contribute to my children’s RESPs, reposition Agilitek, license an intellectual property and consult/speak in another country.

Consider using Microsoft Visio if you need to quickly put together a high-level timeline to share with your project sponsors and team members. If needed, you can easily embed the visual timeline into a regular document or a presentation slide deck.

In Visio 2003, on the File menu, point to New, point to Project Schedule and click on Timeline.

In Visio 2007, Project Schedule is simply called Schedule.

Drag the block, line, ruler, divided or cylindrical timeline into the drawing area.

Add a bracket, block or cylindrical interval as appropriate.

If needed, add an expanded timeline to provide more details to a portion of the timeline.